QUESTION
My father has suffered some serious drug interactions, could we have a lawsuit on our hands?
Asked on Dec 01st, 2013 on Medical Malpractice - Ohio
More details to this question:
My father had to get a heart valve replacement a month ago. Before the valve replacement the dentist had to pull his teeth and gave him antibiotics. After the surgery he was placed on the drug warfarin. He was released from the hospital having his blood checked, INR levels, every few days. It turned out his blood was way too thin so we had to rush him to the hospital. He spent a week in the hospital ended up with fluid on his heart, The doctor told me he had no clue why his blood was so thin. They got everything under control, and he was released. They put him on a new antibiotic before leaving him go to treat him for c. diff. they also increased his dose of blood thinner. He was having his blood levels checked again and his blood was way too thin again so we were advised to take him back to the er. I have been doing research that has told me that the blood thinner and antibiotics can cause a very serious reaction, elevating the INR. Shouldnt the doctor have been aware of this?
1 ANSWER
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John J. Ratkowitz
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Obviously, if you learned that the blood thinners and antibiotics could interact and make the blood thinners stronger, then your father's treating doctors should have figured this out beforehand, and certainly after the first indication that there was a problem. If your father suffered no permanent harm as a result of these episodes, however, there will be questions about whether the case is financially viable. The articles below discuss this in more detail.
If you do want to investigate pursuing the case, you should contact a local medical malpractice attorney (one in your state). They take these cases on a contingency basis which means you only have to pay if you succeed. Additionally, initial consultations are usually free. You can use the "Find a Lawyer" service through this website to research medical malpractice attorneys. Then, visit each attorney's website and look for a firm that has a record of successful verdicts. If you are unable to find a lawyer who meets these qualifications within your state, sometimes you may contact an out of state lawyer who can refer you to a qualified attorney in your state while providing support related to the issues of medicine.
Below are some articles you may find helpful. They are written for a New Jersey audience (where I practice) but the ideas discussed in these articles usually apply in most other jurisdictions as well.
Click here for an article that discusses the three main questions I ask when deciding whether to investigate a potential medical malpractice case. This discusses the issue of financial viability.
Click here for an article that explains what you can and should expect when pursuing a medical malpractice case.
Click here, here and here for more information about me. Click here for summaries of some of the cases that I have litigated. Click here to review articles that I have published.
Since I am a lawyer, I need to advise you of the following when I communicate with you: Please note that by attempting to answer your question, I am not acting as your attorney. I will do nothing further to protect or preserve your interests in the absence of any additional discussion with you about this matter. John Ratkowitz, Esq. Starr, Gern, Davison & Rubin, P.C. 105 Eisenhower Parkway Roseland, NJ 07068 Office: (973) 830-8441 Cell: (732) 616-6278 Fax: (973) 226-0031 Email: jratkowitz@starrgern.com Click here for my website.
Answered on Dec 01st, 2013 at 7:37 PM